Karasu
by Scarlette Winter
Summary: A stand-offish Jōnin. A loud-mouth whose onyx eyes shine brighter than the sun. A red-head with big dreams and an even bigger heart. A pacifist who would do anything to protect his village. Separate, these shinobi have next to nothing in common. But together, they form the tragic story of Team Karasu.
1. Chapter 1: Team Thirteen

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series. **Itachi (7) and Shisui (9) are not my characters. **I only own the characters Karasu Ren (23) and Uzumaki Fuyu (7).**

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } Chapter 1: Team Thirteen **{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }****

Karasu Ren is just a shinobi broken by war. So when he is told that he is being demoted from ANBU in order to teach an exceptionally skilled genin squad, he glares. But he realizes one thing: he doesn't have a choice. The swirling red tattoo on his shoulder is a promise of loyalty to the Hokage, and to step down is a direct order from Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

**Thirteen** is the number that his squad is given. No happy thoughts brighten his mind. Instead, shadows of doubt consume him, and all he can think is: _thirteen is a bad omen._

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } **

Their first official meeting is on a snowy December evening. Ren's already there when the first two students arrive together.

One bows politely, and the ghost of a small smile grazes his lips. That's when Ren decides he doesn't mind this one, so long as he keeps quiet.

The other one, however, has a grin on his face that shines ten times brighter than the sun. Ren isn't particularly fond of the mischievous look in his eyes, and for a moment he wonders how two brats can look so alike but be so different.

The third member arrives exactly thirteen minutes late, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. Ren expects to see an apologetic look, but instead he's met with deep pools of blue-eyed pride as she explains that a kitty was stuck on a tree and she felt obliged to help it.

Team Thirteen's members choose to sit in a circle on a frosty tree stump in what would later become their own training field. Ren doesn't feel like testing their skills, he realizes, so instead he tells them the story of the tree whose very stump they're sitting on. The tree that loved a boy so much that it gave, gave, gave until the tree had nothing left to give. In the end, the boy had given nothing in return, and all that was left of the tree was a stump.

Ren's two male students wear contemplative expressions. The girl, however, tugs on a strand of red hair and asks in a somewhat disappointed tone: "That's it?"

The ending is sad, she decides, and perhaps the boy is cruel.

The boy with the longer hair quietly confirms that, indeed, the boy in the story left the tree and only ever returned when he wanted to take something. Their third teammate just huffs dramatically and hopes to never find a love like that, because isn't the meaning of love not only to give but to take as well?

Ren sighs and waits. He doesn't really know what he's waiting for, but when the silence turns five minutes long, he realizes that perhaps the brats are too young to grasp the concept of the Will of Fire. Maybe they won't at all — after all, what are the chances that the clueless _Uzushiogakure _refugee will ever accept Konoha as her home and that the two _Uchiha _will ever transcend the limitations of their clan?

So he shakes his head, and tells them that perhaps one day they'll understand.

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

**A/N: What do you think? Should there be a main pairing, should it be a love triangle or should I just leave the romance out completely? Do you think Ren is too grumpy? The story will be in third person, and most of the chapters will be from his point of view. **

**This is a short story. I won't immerse myself in much detail: just enough to get the team dynamics and bonds down. It'll be kind of drabble-esque, I suppose, and updates will be every Wednesday. I'll try to keep you updated on their ages at every disclaimer.**

**I****n Ren's story, the boy depicts the village while the tree depicts the shinobi who harbour the Will of Fire. I used the story of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to illustrate this belief. **


	2. Chapter 2: Konoha Is Doomed

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series. Itachi (7) and Shisui (9) are not my characters. I only own the characters Karasu Ren (23) and Uzumaki Fuyu (7).**

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } Chapter 2: Konoha Is Doomed { ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

When Ren meets his students the next day and hears Fuyu and Shisui squabbling (from a distance, his trained ears only catch the words ''_sudden_'' and ''_unreasonable_''), his first thought is:

_Konoha is doomed._

But his first words are:

"Shisui, why are you straddling Itachi?"

And he can't stand it, because it brings back bitter memories from his childhood with **Team Seven**. Memories in which he playfully jumps at his cool and collected teammate **Namikaze Minato**, only for the normally gentle **Hyūga Y****ūki** to punch him for giving her a scare. _History repeats itself_, he thinks, _but he doesn't want it to._

He somehow wills himself to not turn around and ditch **Team Thirteen **when he hears the constant friendly banter between Fuyu and Shisui. It annoys him to no end, so to (rid himself of it) train them, he makes the three brats run twenty laps. Around the whole village. One hundred squats at the end of each lap.

**Itachi** is the first to finish, yet he's barely broken a sweat. Ren raises a brow when the boy doesn't even sit down to rest but instead stands and patiently waits. Deciding to play the caring card and not come across as heartless_, _Ren tells Itachi to rest his legs. Itachi's quiet response is: _when Shisui and Fuyu finish_. Frowning, Ren promises himself to make the kid run more laps tomorrow. _Until Itachi (__begs)__ asks to stop,_ Rin decides.

**Fuyu** is there ten minutes after her teammate. She's breathing heavily as she drops down by Itachi's feet, but she never complains about the pain in her legs or the sweat on her brow. Ren frowns, and takes it upon himself to make sure the next run tires her to the point of rendering her unconscious.

**Shisui** is last. He never actually runs past the assumed finish line. Fifteen feet before he can reach it, he stumbles over a rock and falls flat on his face. He's too physically exhausted to get back on his feet and Ren has to silently scoff at the brat's will to zealously do twice as many squats on each lap. However, Shisui has enough chakra reserves to gather chakra to his feet. With only a swirl of leaves left behind in his original spot, he jumps the rest of the distance with a **body flicker.**

He ends up sprawled on top of an equally panting Fuyu. The situation is borderline awkward — her face turns an interesting shade of red, but whether from anger or embarrassment, Ren isn't so sure. Seemingly oblivious, Shisui turns to Ren with a cheeky smile, and gives the man a thumbs up. Irked by what a smart-ass Shisui is, all Ren does is swat the boy's tiny hand away.

Ren won't admit it, but he's impressed.

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } **

**A/N: First time training. Criticism and general thoughts on team interaction and dynamics would be greatly appreciated. What do you think of Ren's first impressions? Were the finishing times predictable? **

**Thanks to everyone who favourited and followed. Also, adgenelia, the Guest and Himeno Kazehito have my gratitude for taking the time to review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Konoha Is Still Standing

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series. Itachi (7) and Shisui (9) are not my characters. I only own the characters Karasu Ren (23) and Uzumaki Fuyu (7).**

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } Chapter 3: Konoha is still standing { ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

A week after Team Thirteen's first meeting, Fuyu cons Ren into buying the team lunch at Ichiraku's ramen stand. He's not too sure how to feel about that: once a highly-trained, elite soldier… Now, just a glorified baby-sitter getting blackmailed by the kids he's supposed to be taking care of.

In return, during the following training session Ren buries the three brats up to their necks in the ground before casually walking away and leaving them stranded, stuck in the middle of the training field. He even has the nerve to whistle and wave over his shoulder as they gaze in wonder at his departing figure.

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

In the following six months, not much changes. Admittedly, Ren notices they've all grown closer.

Shisui and Fuyu still bicker, but strangely enough Ren doesn't find himself minding. _Konoha is still standing, after all. _

He learns several things about his students.

**Uchiha Itachi** is the future leader of the Uchiha clan. Highly perceptive, intelligent and skilled, he lives up to the title of prodigy. Ren finds himself oddly annoyed by the kid's calm demeanour — his feelings are more often than not a mystery. This is the first time Ren doesn't know what's going on in someone's head, and that irks him to no end. He won't admit it to himself, but he wishes the kid would smile more.

Thankfully, as the months fly by Itachi gradually loosens up. Ren can see it in the way the prodigy interacts with his teammates: the way he will smile shyly when Fuyu fusses over his wounds, and the way the corners of his eyes will crinkle when Shisui puts a friendly arm around his shoulders. His two teammates have formed a pact of some sort: constantly teasing and testing the younger Uchiha's patience with jokes, affectionate gestures and friendly bickering, getting under his skin all in hopes of making him more comfortable with them.

Itachi often closes his eyes when his two teammates squabble, but contrary to the popular belief that it is due to _the headaches _that their playful banter tends to cause, Ren is quick to realize that this is a sign of endearment. _Itachi is, truly, content._

**Uchiha Shisui** may be nearly up to par with Itachi's skills, but _he is an idiot_. Ren has known this from the very first time that he lay eyes on Shisui, and he is convinced that the boy will never change. From day one Shisui always does his best to make his team — including Ren — laugh, even when they're trying to handle serious matters. It doesn't really work at first, since it goes something like this: he says something that's admittedly stupid (and more often than not inappropriate), Itachi loses his concentration (which he needs, for he meditates), and Fuyu smacks him over the head (only half-heartedly, though) for disturbing the peaceful silence. Nevertheless, Shisui's face bears a dopey grin every single time because he knows that getting any kind of reaction out of them is better than no reaction at all. _Some people are not as lucky as Shisui is,_ Ren thinks.

Six months together changes their reactions completely, though, and Ren has to admit that the kid's alright. _For an Uchiha, that is_. It goes like this now: the laughing boy cracks a joke, the prodigy shakes his head _but smiles fondly, _and the kind girl forgets the friendly banter and _giggles_, despite the fact she doesn't even find it funny. Finally, Fuyu's giggles reach Shisui, and the idiot is left a blushing mess.

Ultimately, Ren is forced to turn his face to the side so that nobody can witness the crooked smile threatening to appear on his face.

**Uzumaki Fuyu** is a probably the girl with the biggest heart out of all Konoha genin, regularly late for meetings because she ends up stitching pigeons together or helping elderly people carry their bags. (_All this kind of makes Karasu Ren feel guilty for murdering her gold fish, albeit unintentionally.) _Despite that, similarly to her distant older cousin Kushina (conveniently nicknamed Red Hot-Blooded Habanero), she is quick to lose her temper. More often not, Shisui is on the receiving end of her wrath. However, Ren is somewhat convinced that the idiot doesn't really mind getting his face pounded in so long as it's Fuyu's fists that are bruising him. Ren believes that for his own sake, it would be better if he doesn't interfere when that occurs. The aftermath is always the same: she'll heal Shisui and apologize, so Ren doesn't make a big deal out of it. If Shisui's lucky, he'll even get a kiss on the cheek.

Itachi knows that Fuyu is often disheartened by the fact she's paired with two geniuses when she hasn't exactly been excelling. To raise her spirits, he tries to nonchalantly compliment her. Naturally, it never comes across the way that he intends it to: he's not a boy of many words, and he's generally considered to be awkward. The dense little girl regularly takes his words the wrong way, of course, so a normal occurrence in training ground number three is this:

Shisui has to latch his arm around her shoulder and pull her into a hug before she can pounce on Itachi, who by then is subtly inching away from the scene. Enraged, Fuyu roars that she's going to kick Itachi's _scrawny little ass_, but Shisui is there to chirp on happily about how cute and tiny she is. He can't have her trying to pummel his _brother_, so he tightens his grip on her to make sure that she can't escape. This ceases her movements altogether, so when it comes to the point when Shisui's hold turns suffocating and she's forced to complain that she can't breathe, all Shisui says is:

_True love takes your breath away, doesn't it?_

That's normally the cue for Ren to promptly quirk a brow: there's nothing more amusing than Fuyu's face becoming reminiscent of her scarlet hair.

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

**A/N: Reviews about the team dynamics and odd bonds would be really nice. Critique would also be helpful. Is there any particular moment you would want me to emphasize on in later chapters? ****Did you notice the reference to the first chapter when he says that Konoha is still standing? His first thought about the team was that Konoha was doomed. Talk about there being a plot-twist later on with their self-sacrificial behaviour. **

**The heat is seriously getting to me and I'm finding it hard to stick to the initially intended style of writing this drabble-esque series. **


	4. Chapter 4: To Conquer

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series. Itachi (7) and Shisui (9) are not my characters. I only own the characters Karasu Ren (23) and Uzumaki Fuyu (7).**

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } Chapter 4: To Conquer { ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

Team Thirteen's first B-rank mission isn't one normally assigned to genin, but as the days of the Third Shinobi War are slowly coming to an end, there's a severe shortage of available chuunin. With a rather heavy heart, Ren tucks the mission scroll into his pocket, and sends a raven to notify all member of the team.

It's an assassination that leaves the three brats shaking.

In the pathetic mission report, all Karasu Ren writes is:

_We came, we killed, we conquered._ (Because what was he supposed to say? ''The three brats nearly died on my watch''?)

Once the deed is done - meaning, once the corpses are promptly burned as to not leave anything behind - Ren claps each team member on the back, and says:  
"It won't be your last kill."

He is man of few actions and even fewer words. But, he realizes with a jolt as he takes in their disheveled appearance, that may need to change if he wants them to stay sane. If Ren has to be honest. he knows that it's their first kills.

He grimly remembers his own, at the tender age of 11. The only part he recalls is furiously banging his fists into a Cloud shinobi's face and then into the ground, right next to the head of a dead man. He hadn't been able tell where he was or what he was doing, and he didn't know if it was himself or the skies that were crying, if it was self-contempt or raindrops leaving thick trails down his cheeks. His vision was far too blurred for him to see, but he felt everything. He felt Minato's presence at his wounded side, and Yuki's calming palms on his shaking fists, and Jiraiya's heavy hand on his buckling shoulder. A hand that had turned innocent Ren around, and pulled him into a warm embrace.

Karasu Ren is no Jiraiya, but realizing the harshness of his words, he tries to cut** Team Thirteen** some slack. Small gestures that don't go unnoticed, yet still bear little results.

_Let's take it slow to Konoha, damn Sarutobi and his reports. _They're exhausted: it's evident on their faces.  
_Fuyu, hand me your supplies bag._ Her shoulder's dislocated, and he sees her body sagging underneath the weight.  
_Shisui, you look like shit. Go freshen up at the creek_. Because Shisui's eyes are locked on his bloodied hands, empty and unfeeling and cold.  
_Itachi... _Visibly, he is without a scratch, and the only thing missing is the hairband keeping his growing hair in a ponytail. But even though nothing seems wrong, Ren knows he is shaken: he knows, because Itachi's Sharingan refuses to switch off, and the boy keeps clenching fists by his sides. _Tie your hair up, don't be a slob. _

So Fuyu wordlessly extracts a blue ribbon from her pocket, and hands it to her pensive teammate. It's undoubtedly feminine, but Itachi mutely does as Ren instructs.

Ren's proud to admit that Itachi's doujutsu is a force to be reckoned with, Shisui's speed is unmatched, and Fuyu seems to have been working on the late Namikaze Minato's Hiraishin, but… That mission is also:

The mission that makes Itachi's Sharingan wake.

The mission that gives Shisui the nickname ''Shisui of the Body Flicker''.

The mission that turns Fuyu into the legend of "The Red Lightning".

The mission that paves their way to the top, yet also makes them crumble.

Itachi's hands tremble and he does not speak a word for three days afterward.

Shisui rushes away from the mangled Iwa corpses, littered with stab wounds he himself had inflicted, and promptly throws up.

Fuyu leans against a distant tree when they make camp for the night, and cries when it's her turn to take watch, thinking nobody can hear.

**A/N: Please fav/follow/review so I can keep track of the story's followers.**

**Anyway, a few words and questions. 2 ****years have passed by since I got the idea for this drabble-esque series, and I am back. I've been reading a lot of fanfiction lately, especially OC-centrics, so it's safe to say I've been inspired to at least continue this - it's very fun to write. Any opinions on Ren and Fuyu, the 2 OCs, would be very appreciate - I much enjoy criticism as well.**

**But please note that the story is meant to be a drabble, with a nostalgic feel to it, as it is somewhat from the sensei's POV. It doesn't really delve too deeply into details... Should it?**


	5. Chapter 5: Fireworks

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series. Itachi (7) and Shisui (9) are not my characters. I only own the characters Karasu Ren (23) and Uzumaki Fuyu (7).**

**{ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ } Chapter 5: Fireworks { ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ }**

When they meet, they decide to watch the village with their legs dangling over the Yondaime's stone face. It's warm outside, but Ren shivers as he his feet kick against hair that was once ridiculously blond.

"He used to be my teammate," Karasu Ren finally admits. "My best friend."

Fuyu knew that already- after all, upon seeking refuge in Konoha, she had spend three years living with Minato and Kushina before they-

(-she didn't want to think of it, not of the eyes that were the sky and the hair that was the sun and the presence that was pure warmth. Not of ''-ttebane!''s and endless ramen and a wide smile that lightened up her world.)

"I used to tell him I'd kick dirt in his face every time I passed by this mountain."

But all three kids know he doesn't do that, because they saw the way he gazed down wistfully.

Sighing, and deciding a painful trip down memory lane is the last thing he needs, he asks them what their definition of a shinobi is.

"Self-sacrifice. A nameless person protecting peace from within its shadow. That is a true shinobi," Shisui says. He's serious for once, and Ren finds himself missing the normallu goofy look on the Uchiha's face. He jolts, then, and discreetly checks the warmth of his forehead. Surely he must be catching a flu of some sort - maybe he caught it in the Land of Snow?- because there's no way he's missing his idiot student's dopey face.

"A shinobi is a man who cannot find love greater than one of his village," Itachi says. Ren barely notices the soft smile on the child's face, but when he does, he never wants it to fade. It's Itachi's first smile since his encounter with war.

"We're like fireworks. We reach for the stars, and we illuminate the darkness for those who cannot see. Sometimes, we go our separate ways, we become further apart, we dim before our time is due," Fuyu starts, sighing sadly as she gazes up at the sky. "But sometimes, we shine forever through the Will of Fire."

Ren's proud. Proud, because only several months after he's told them the story of The Giving Tree, they've fully grasped its meaning. They have grown. He surprises them, then, as he sets up a tent and unseals four sleeping bags from a small scroll. When they settle in, nestled comfortably under a thick blanket of silence, Fuyu breaks it by announcing she wants this to be their new "epicly fantastic team spot'', as she calls it. And Ren doesn't want to, because:

Firstly, what kind of name is that?

But most of all, why, why, why did she pick up on so many of the Namikaze's quirks?

The Hokage Monument bitterly reminded Ren of everything that he once had and everything that he had lost, but once he sees those adorable puppy eyes, his mouth flaps and he finds himself unable to say no.

The coldness never leaves, but it is bearable now.

As the four shinobi huddle close together underneath the pitch black sky, Ren makes sure to lie next to the red-headed girl, and pretend to snore as loud as he can. She needs to be punished for manipulating him, after all.

She doesn't mind, though, because there's something oddly comforting about the snores, which gradually die down to soft hums as _sensei_ slips into a slumber. It's uncharacteristic of him, she thinks to herself - because she's heard stories of the demons that chase him in the night.

But that night, his face looks peaceful, and he doesn't move an inch.

Fuyu knows: she knows, because she keeps watch, chasing the demons away before they can reach.

**A/N: Please follow/fav/review if you are interested in the story so that I can keep track. Also, tell me what you think: do you agree with their definitions of being shinobi? Do you think they're finally getting on Ren's softer side? Opinions on Fuyu?**


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